Pieces of My Puzzle
by Slytherin Redeemed
Summary: [COMPLETE] There were six priests that completed Atemu's life, six companions through his long and rough journey. A oneshot separated into six different sections dedicated to the pieces of Atemu's complicated puzzle.


**Disclaimer:** _Yu-Gi-Oh! _is property of Kazuki Takahashi.  
This was written for fun; no profit is being made out of this.  
_No copyright infringement is intended._

**Pieces of My Puzzle**

By Wakaoji Takudo

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_"Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must see inside of you." –Wally 'Famous' Amos (1936 - )_

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**_The First Piece – Set_**

He's my cousin, Priest of the Rod. Of course I'm bound to mention him first.

But even if he is my cousin, we rarely even speak. He and I may be overprotective of each other, but we can't even get into a conversation without making an argument out of some silly thing mentioned. The funny thing is Set and I still are related by blood, _bound _to be related to each other no matter what. We rarely even see eye to eye, and yet when one of us should get hurt, one of us rushes to the other's side. I don't know what to call it – it isn't even love – but it's strong. It isn't friendship, but it lasts. Set is the first piece of my six-pieced puzzle.

At times, I can't even believe I'm related to him. He's a hothead, easily angered with a temper on a very short leash. He's Mahado's polar opposite, and while he may show signs of a forming rebellion, he is still loyal to me. Of all my priests, I believe he is the hardest to understand. I've been trying to understand him for seventeen years, and still I've shown no signs of understanding what may be another puzzle within my court. I can't assemble his pieces correctly – his feelings, his demeanor, his actions, his _everything_ – and whenever I try to, there always seems to be something missing when I think I've got it. Ra, not even Uncle Akhunadin is as confusing as he is, and that man is as confusing as I am, multiplied by at least fifty or so!

And, then, there are also times I _can _believe I'm related to him. He and I are naturally-born thinkers, and he would do well to become pharaoh; his leadership skills are _far _beyond 'sub-par.' I believe he and I received the skills from our fathers; the phrase "Great minds think alike" works in Set's and my relationship more than I think it will ever work in anyone else's. Quite frankly, even if I'm younger, I'm the one who's proud of him. He's come a long way; his _ka _is second in strength to only Mahado's, who harbors more than enough evil _ka _within his ring, but it's strong. His _heka _was coming on to a higher height sooner than Uncle or I had anticipated. I must say, Set is a fast learner and is quick to pick up on things.

Upon different circumstances, were he not so loyal to me, related to me, or one of my priests, he surely would have used his leadership skills and his strong management over his _heka _and _ka_ to have started a rebellion long ago. I feel Akhunadin's want of him to become pharaoh even though he knows there is no chance – but perhaps that is not necessarily true. I have no intention of marrying within the near future, so I might have to choose one of _my _priests to become the next pharaoh. Set is definitely high upon that list.

Set? Pharaoh? I think he can pursue that dream once I'm gone…

--

_**The Second Piece – Mahado**_

My childhood friend, perhaps the most loyal of all six, is none other than the priest who holds more power than my other five combined. He is nobody else but Mahado, Priest of the Ring.

While he is in no way related to me by blood, by friendship and by soul, I believe we have the strongest bond in all of Egypt; I cannot make such assumptions, however, and therefore must surmise our companionship to just being the strongest of the court. Mahado had been with me ever since the beginning of our training in _heka_-controlling with Uncle Akhunadin; had been with me ever since the beginning of the rise of our _ka _within our soul. If there is one word that I can use to describe Mahado, and not be used on the other priests, it would be 'friend.' Another would be 'trustworthy'; I don't claim Set, of all people, to be _un_trustworthy, but there is that father of his with the Millennium Eye. It is _that _I do not trust.

And, whilst Mahado is the second piece, he is the piece that completes me. His very essence, the Magus of Illusion, had returned to me even when his wielder had died. My gracious friend, he even stayed loyal to me even if it was his loyalty to my kingdom that caused his very death. In the very event, I wanted to weep, beg his pardon, and ask for his forgiveness, whereupon during the moment realizing that neither all the treasures in the world nor my power as the pharaoh could have brought him back. I wish the gods to smile upon his faithful soul; I sent him off the very night he came back.

Yet he still comes back to me, graces my dreams with his smile. Mahado, unlike Set, was very involved in the running of the country, as well as its politics with the neighboring kingdoms. He was the very brother that I did not have, could not and would never see in Set; the very father who Akhunadin could never have been; the very friend that nobody could ever replace. He protected me from the assault that Bakura had laid out at the fallen village of Kul-Eluna, protecting me with whatever was left of his pained spirit. He was Set's complete counter-opposite, the very piece that fills the incomplete triangle that Set and I formed. The two of them branched off of me, I suppose, if you looked at it that way.

Mahado, even if he were not at all part of my royal court, would definitely be destined for greatness. His _heka _is strong, and his teaching skills are ranked up higher than Uncle Akhunadin's, even.

He would have done even better, were he alive…

--

_**The Third Piece – Isis**_

The very woman in whom I found the very first flame of love spark was my very own Priestess of the Necklace. I came the soon realization that it would not be her I would end up with; she became close to me, for she wanted Mahado.

She was the very epitome of grace and beauty, and her demeanor and language exude the very same feeling, even today. A woman wanted by all of Egypt's men, I cannot blame them for wanting her. Long ago, I had lusted after her, and had been denied. I had been to anguished to even _command _her to become my wife, much less a concubine of mine; now _that _thought would have made even Father blush and roll over in his grave. Not even the great Akhunamukhanon had thought of taking concubines; Isis was a woman, not a whore, and I appreciate her for being that.

Isis is the third, and perhaps one of the most crucial pieces of my puzzle. She helped shape my feelings toward women – especially woman with abruptly-formed control over her _ka_; Isis' control over Spiria is amazing, and her bond with both _ka _and _heka_ does wonders for my kingdom. Next to Mahado, she stands as one of my most trusted advisers. It takes great courage to become a priestess of a pharaoh whose court is filled with men, and I admire her for that. She, like Set, is a very quick learner, and her senses are sharp, and even more so heightened by her possession of the necklace. It is amazing what even _jewelry _can do to a woman.

If my father's previous Priest of the Necklace hadn't deemed Isis worthy to have been his successor, I would have to wonder if I would actually have started a harem and gathered _whores _in it.

How life would have been without Isis, I do not even dare to dream.

--

_**The Fourth Piece – Uncle Akhunadin**_

He was the man who raised me after my father's abrupt death along with my other adviser, Shiamun. He is Set's father, and is none other than my very own Uncle Akhunadin.

There were very many days that I would come to the conclusion that one day, it would be _he _leading the rebellion against my throne. He may be my father's brother, and I may be related to him through blood, and yet I do not feel a relationship with him as I do with Set; I do not think I would ever be feeling a 'father-son' relationship with him. I do not even think _Set _feels the bond of a father and son with Akhunadin.

I had never been impressed with his control over the Rod, or over his _heka _and _ka_. Completely obsessed with power – I could see him corrupting Set with the very same dream – to conquer the world – every day – his soul has been clouded with darkness. His _ka _cannot even fight properly; Gadius is a waste. His magic, which he used to once teach the five other priests, now deteriorates every passing second with the said 'cloud of darkness.'

However, sadly, there is nothing I can do to dispose of this fourth 'piece'; he is my uncle, related to me by blood, and I cannot change that should I ever want to. I cannot surmise the feelings I feel for him; hatred, disrespect, yet – nothing. I am powerless, even as pharaoh, against his authority. I could lock him up and throw away the key just as easily as he could use _heka _to escape.

Oh, if only we weren't related.

--

_**The Fifth Piece – Shada**_

Within my court, silence reigned. Shada, Priest of the Key, was Silence's Prince.

He was very quiet, and very reserved, and reminded me of what little I could remember of my father's personality and of Shiamun's stories. I grin at the thought were it Shada in my place and I in his. There are many things to be learned from him; Shiamun himself even calls Shada's knowledge beyond his years as he calls mine. We are compared to Father in this way as well. We know too much for our own good.

If Mahado were not there, Shada would be the next person I would bother to lean on. Shada reminds me very much of Mahado; if it would be his knowledge in politics, his silence, or his witty replies and opinions when asked of him, I do not know. It is bound to be one of those three – or perhaps even all of them. His wit, however, is the most amazing thing. His tongue can rival even Set's cheek – something even _I_, myself, have not been able to do.

If it were anything at all, controlling his _heka _and _ka _were nothing to him. His _heka_ is exceptionally strong, and so is his control over it, and his _ka _is far from low-class. I am amazed that his predecessor did not wield the Ring instead.

I cannot imagine life in court without him.

--

_**The Sixth Piece – Kalim**_

Where there is a Prince, there is always a King. Kalim, Priest of the Scales, was the King of Silence.

He rarely even opened his mouth unless spoken to or asked for an opinion. He was a silent man that, even, to some extent, managed to annoy everything out of Set. Whether it was his demeanor, his voice, or his eyes, Kalim did something to the court that Shada did not. There were times he would bind us when we were in utmost chaos, a job Isis has taken to learn; and there were times that he would divide us, starting a heated argument with the other five – six, including myself – forcing us to take sides. Shiamun, himself, would be inserted into these arguments with no apparent reason. Someway, somehow, Kalim managed to involve everyone into everything.

I cannot say anything more about him; out of all my six priests, he is the one I know the least about. His control over _heka _is not what I expected to be; his control over his _ka _is not what I expected it to be, either. He is strong, and yet susceptible to everything and anything around him. He is weak, and yet he can be the most ferocious.

I cannot understand him.

Even if I tried.

--

Atemu heaved a quiet sigh as he put his chisel and tablet down. Writing everything about his priests made his arm sore, and yet he felt relieved in a way. There was a knock on his door, and he called out, "It's open. Enter."

The door opened quietly. "My pharaoh."

Atemu didn't even have to turn around to recognize the voice. "Ah. Set, my cousin. Did you need something of me?"

"It's the anniversary, cousin," replied Set with quiet contempt.

"Of course." He put down the tablet and chisel, and when Set gave him a questioning look, he waved his hand in dismissal, removing any more inquisitive thoughts from his cousin's mind. He saw Set to the door, and the priest followed his pharaoh to the temple, where the other pieces of his puzzle awaited his arrival…

--

**A/N:** Before you ask about 'the anniversary,' it's Mahado's death anniversary. Sadly, it was all I had in my head at the time, and therefore had to use it. I do feel quite sorry for Mahado, though. :-( And to Atemu's obvious disdain for his Uncle? ;-) It's in the manga. I don't know about the anime; it just doesn't seem… realistic enough for me. It really isn't _that_ terribly obvious or shown, but people interpret things differently, don't they?

Anyway, now that Pieces of My Puzzle is done (it took me three days to think of the whole thing!), I think I'm going to either start on one of the RK ones and try my hand in that fandom again.

Ciao,  
_**Wakaoji Takudo**_


End file.
